aka Tom Reingold
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,509
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
Mentioned: 511 Post(s)
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Basically, you have to use a lower gear than is comfortable and spin faster than is comfortable. You eventually get used to it.
Another thing that might help is riding a fixed gear bike. Winter is often a good time to do this, as there are other winter-time benefits to riding fixed. Setting your fixed gear with a low ratio such as around 65 or 70 inches will have you spinning really fast when you go fast or downhill. The object is to spin without bouncing your butt on the saddle. I've ridden in 65 inches and gone down some hills. I clocked my speed at roughly 180 rpm. It's good for improving your form.
Another thing to check is your fit. A saddle too high will encourage high gears and a low cadence. A saddle too low might encourage low gears. Make sure your leg is still slightly bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke and your foot is not very extended. You may want someone at a bike shop to take a look. Your saddle might also need to go forward or backward, more probably forward.